Diego Brandao said after he won The Ultimate Fighter featherweight tournament that he was going to take advantage of his new six-figure UFC contract and buy his mother a house. After the fight, he found out he’ll have a lot more money than he realized to lavish on his mom.
The UFC announced that Brandao will receive $80,000 in bonuses for his performance on Saturday night: The UFC’s traditional post-fight bonuses are $40,000 apiece for this event, and Brandao earned two of them.
Brandao won the Submission of the Night bonus for the impressive arm bar that forced Dennis Bermudez to tap out in the first round of their featherweight Finale fight. And Brandao and Bermudez also shared the Fight of the Night bonus.
The Brandao-Bermudez fight was a sensational display, 4 minutes and 51 seconds of action that ended when Brandao went from getting pounded on the ground by Bermudez to rolling over and trapping Bermudez in an arm bar. The fight was definitely the best of a good night of UFC fights, and Brandao’s submission was sensational.
The other bonus, $40,000 for Knockout of the Night, went to John Dodson, who won The Ultimate Fighter bantamweight tournament by knocking out T.J. Dillashaw.
Diego Brandao said after he won The Ultimate Fighter featherweight tournament that he was going to take advantage of his new six-figure UFC contract and buy his mother a house. After the fight, he found out he’ll have a lot more money than he realized to lavish on his mom.
The UFC announced that Brandao will receive $80,000 in bonuses for his performance on Saturday night: The UFC’s traditional post-fight bonuses are $40,000 apiece for this event, and Brandao earned two of them.
Brandao won the Submission of the Night bonus for the impressive arm bar that forced Dennis Bermudez to tap out in the first round of their featherweight Finale fight. And Brandao and Bermudez also shared the Fight of the Night bonus.
The Brandao-Bermudez fight was a sensational display, 4 minutes and 51 seconds of action that ended when Brandao went from getting pounded on the ground by Bermudez to rolling over and trapping Bermudez in an arm bar. The fight was definitely the best of a good night of UFC fights, and Brandao’s submission was sensational.
The other bonus, $40,000 for Knockout of the Night, went to John Dodson, who won The Ultimate Fighter bantamweight tournament by knocking out T.J. Dillashaw.
Filed under: UFCJohn Dodson is The Ultimate Fighter’s bantamweight tournament winner.
Dodson beat T.J. Dillashaw with a short and sweet first-round technical knockout, easily winning the fight while barely breaking a sweat. Dodson knocked Dillashaw do…
John Dodson is The Ultimate Fighter‘s bantamweight tournament winner.
Dodson beat T.J. Dillashaw with a short and sweet first-round technical knockout, easily winning the fight while barely breaking a sweat. Dodson knocked Dillashaw down with one punch, and when Dillashaw got back up but looked wobbly, Dodson landed another punch that knocked Dillashaw down again. Dodson pounced, and referee Herb Dean quickly stepped in to stop the fight.
The fight lasted just 1 minute, 54 seconds.
Dillashaw got back up immediately after the stoppage, and some fans booed Dean for stopping the fight as quickly as he did, but Dillashaw didn’t seem to be all there, and Dean’s stoppage was justifiable.
For Dodson, the win is a huge step forward in his career: Although he’s a tiny bantamweight who’s been more comfortable fighting at flyweight previously in his pro MMA career, he showed on The Ultimate Fighter that he can beat bigger opponents. Dodson is a fighter with a lot of promise.
“Words cannot describe how I feel right now,” Dodson said afterward. “Oh, my God. Did I just end it that quick?”
Dodson did finish it that quickly: He put on a great show.
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for John Dodson vs. T.J. Dillashaw, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
Dodson faces Dillashaw to determine the season 14 bantamweight tournament winner. Dodson (11-5) is a flashy fighter out of Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M. Dillashaw (4-0) is the less experienced fighter, but holds a strong wrestling background.
The live blog is below.
Round 1: Dodson starts of with a straight left counter that clips Dillashaw and sends him staggering back, but he recovers quickly. They trade leg kicks, and already Dodson looks like the quicker fighter. Dodson flicks out a left and then a head kick that stings Dillashaw. Dillashaw walks right into a left hook that catches him behind the ear, and he’s down. Dodson jumps on him with hammer fists, and referee Herb Dean jumps in just as Dodson is rolling to his stomach and looking for a single-leg. Might have been a quick stoppage, but Dillashaw staggers up to his feet and wobbles to one side, still on shaky legs. Dodson, meanwhile, runs up the side of the cage and does a backflip with a half gainer, then sprints across the cage and does the same thing on the other side. That was the most impressive physical feat he’s performed all night.
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for John Dodson vs. T.J. Dillashaw, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
Dodson faces Dillashaw to determine the season 14 bantamweight tournament winner. Dodson (11-5) is a flashy fighter out of Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M. Dillashaw (4-0) is the less experienced fighter, but holds a strong wrestling background.
The live blog is below.
Round 1: Dodson starts of with a straight left counter that clips Dillashaw and sends him staggering back, but he recovers quickly. They trade leg kicks, and already Dodson looks like the quicker fighter. Dodson flicks out a left and then a head kick that stings Dillashaw. Dillashaw walks right into a left hook that catches him behind the ear, and he’s down. Dodson jumps on him with hammer fists, and referee Herb Dean jumps in just as Dodson is rolling to his stomach and looking for a single-leg. Might have been a quick stoppage, but Dillashaw staggers up to his feet and wobbles to one side, still on shaky legs. Dodson, meanwhile, runs up the side of the cage and does a backflip with a half gainer, then sprints across the cage and does the same thing on the other side. That was the most impressive physical feat he’s performed all night.
Filed under: UFCWill Jason “Mayhem” Miller earn his first UFC victory, or will Michael Bisping give Mayhem the beating he’s been promising? Will Diego Brandao continue to look like a wrecking machine, or will Dennis Bermudez win the featherweight final…
Will Jason “Mayhem” Miller earn his first UFC victory, or will Michael Bisping give Mayhem the beating he’s been promising? Will Diego Brandao continue to look like a wrecking machine, or will Dennis Bermudez win the featherweight final? And who takes the Ultimate Fighter bantamweight tournament, T.J. Dillashaw or John Dodson? We try to answer those questions as we look at the Ultimate Fighter Finale below.
What: The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale
When: Saturday, the Spike televised card begins at 8 PM ET.
Where: Palms Resort Casino, Las Vegas
Predictions on the four televised fights below.
Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller Miller, the Bully Beatdown host and former Strikeforce and Dream fighter, finally returns to the cage after more than a year away following his victory over Kazushi Sakuraba at Dream 16. A big question facing Miller is whether he’ll come in sharp and in shape, or whether ring rust is an issue.
A victory would put Bisping on a four-fight winning streak, and he has said he thinks he’s in the hunt for a middleweight title shot if he gets that fourth win in a row. Realistically, that’s not going to happen: Even if he beats Mayhem, he’d need at least one more win before the UFC would give him a shot at Anderson Silva.
But a win would solidify Bisping’s place in the middleweight Top 10, and I think this is Bisping’s fight. I don’t see him finishing Mayhem, but I do think his wrestling and his boxing are good enough that he should control the fight standing or on the ground, and he’ll win a decision. Pick: Bisping
Dennis Bermudez vs. Diego Brandao If there’s anyone from this season of The Ultimate Fighter who has the potential to become a breakout star it’s Brandao, who has looked absolutely terrorizing in winning all of his fights this season. Brandao has said Wanderlei Silva is his favorite fighter, and he looks a lot like a young Axe Murderer: Brandao doesn’t waste any time in going on the attack and looking for a knockout.
Can Bermudez avoid being Brandao’s latest victim? I don’t think so. It’s true that Bermudez has a background as a college wrestler, and if Brandao has a weakness it’s his wrestling. But I don’t think Bermudez is going to be able to withstand the barrage of strikes that Brandao is sure to go after him with. I like Brandao to win by TKO. Pick: Brandao
T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Dodson In the bantamweight final, we have a couple of good wrestlers who train with a couple of good camps: Dillashaw is part of Team Alpha Male, and Dodson is part of Team Greg Jackson. I think both of these guys have more sophisticated, complete games than we usually see from Ultimate Fighter contestants.
The advantage Dillashaw has is his height, reach, size and strength: He’s a good-sized bantamweight, while Dodson is a small 135-pounder and would be fighting at 125 pounds if the UFC had a flyweight class. If Dillashaw can exploit his reach advantage standing up and out-muscle Dodson from the top position if the fight goes to the ground, Dillashaw can win.
But I think Dodson’s experience edge is big here: He’s been fighting professionally since 2004 and has an 11-5 record. Dillashaw only started fighting in 2010 and has a 4-0 record. Dodson is going to be a lot more confident and at ease in the biggest fight of both their careers, and I think Dodson will execute his game plan well and win a decision. Pick: Dodson
Tony Ferguson vs. Yves Edwards Ferguson won the last season of The Ultimate Fighter and then looked outstanding in his first fight after that, brutalizing Aaron Riley at UFC 135. The 35-year-old Edwards, who has fought all over the place in a 15-year career, is 41-17-1 and is a step up in competition for Ferguson. This is not an easy fight for Ferguson at all.
But it’s a fight that I think Ferguson should win, because his punching power will test the somewhat suspect chin of Edwards. In fact, I like Ferguson to win this fight in spectacular fashion and add a highlight reel knockout to his growing resume. Pick: Ferguson
Filed under: UFCSeason 14 of The Ultimate Fighter is in the books, with the two fights on Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Finale determining this season’s winners.
In the featherweight Finale, Diego Brandao will face Dennis Bermudez. In the bantamwe…
Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter is in the books, with the two fights on Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Finale determining this season’s winners.
In the featherweight Finale, Diego Brandao will face Dennis Bermudez. In the bantamweight Finale, T.J. Dillashaw will face John Dodson. (The main event at the Ultimate Fighter Finale will be Michael Bisping vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller in the fight between the coaches.)
How did Brandao, Bermudez, Dillashaw and Dodson get to the Finale? The full Ultimate Fighter Season 14 results are below.
Episode 10 John Dodson beat Johnny Bedford by second-round TKO (punches)
Diego Brandao beat Bryan Caraway by first-round TKO (punches)
Episode 9 T.J Dillashaw beat Dustin Pague by unanimous decision
Episode 8 Dennis Bermudez beat Akira Corassani by first-round submission (guillotine choke)
Episode 7 TJ Dillashaw beat Roland Delorme by second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Episode 6 John Dodson beat John Albert by unanimous decision
Diego Brandao beat Steven Siler by first-round knockout (punches)
Episode 5 Akira Corassani beat Dustin Neace by majority decision
Episode 4 Dennis Bermudez beat Stephan Bass by second-round TKO (punches)
Dustin Pague beat Louis Gaudinot by second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Episode 3 Johnny Bedford beat Josh Ferguson by unanimous decision
Episode 2 Bryan Caraway beat Marcus Brimage by second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Episode 1 Josh Ferguson beat Casey Dyer by first-round knockout (punches)
Diego Brandao beat Jesse Newell by first-round knockout (punches)
John Dodson beat Brandon Merkt by first-round TKO (punches)
Dennis Bermudez beat Jimmie Rivera by second-round TKO (punches)
Roland Delorme beat B.J. Ferguson by first-round submission (triangle choke)
Marcus Brimage beat Bryson Wailehua-Hansen by second-round TKO (punches)
Johnny Bedford beat Carson Beebe by first-round submission (guillotine choke)
Dustin Pague beat Tateki Matsuda by majority decision
Louis Gaudinot beat Paul McVeigh by third-round TKO (punches)
Bryan Caraway beat Eric Mariott by unanimous decision
Dustin Neace beat Josh Clopton by unanimous decision
TJ Dillashaw beat Matt Jaggers by first-round TKO (punches)
Steven Siler beat Micah Miller by third-round submission (guillotine)
John Albert beat Orville Smith by first-round submission (rear naked choke)
Stephan Bass beat Karsten Lenjoint by second-round submission (triangle choke)
Akira Corassani beat Brian Pearman by first-round knockout(punches)
Diego Brandao said after he won The Ultimate Fighter featherweight tournament that he was going to take advantage of his new six-figure UFC contract and buy his mother a house. After the fight, he found out he’ll have a lot more money than he realized to lavish on his mom.
John Dodson is The Ultimate Fighter‘s bantamweight tournament winner.
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for 
Will Jason “Mayhem” Miller earn his first 
Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter is in the books, with the two fights on Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Finale determining this season’s winners.